Star Trek: Genesis
by Jetplague
Summary: A new ship in the late 24th century begins its mission with a young crew destined to rise in the ranks and learn about what it takes to make it on this adventurous five year mission. Mission 001 - Beyond The Stars.
1. Chapter 1

Star Trek: Genesis

Based on the tv series "Star Trek" created by Gene Roddenberry

"Genesis" is a created fan fiction series by Jeff Walker

_In the late 24__th__ Century…_

_Two decades after the legacy of the USS Enterprise 1701 - E, Deep Space Nine and USS Voyager. _

_The wars that plagued the Federation have now calmed to a lull and can once again move forward into a peaceful era. With Starfleet building new ships and continuing their original mandate to explore the galaxy, they once again boldly go where no one has gone before._

_These are the bold new adventures of a young group of cadet friends who've graduated to the rank of Ensigns, sharing their lives, adventures and hopes as they voyage together on a brand new ship. The U.S.S. Genesis is a new Foundation Class vessel that carries a crew of over 1000…they are the young men and women officers to travel beyond the stars._

Mission 001:

BEYOND THE STARSChapter One

Ensign's Log: Stardate 67468.79

What a rush it has been these few days. Having graduated from Starfleet Academy and assigned my first posting on the U.S.S. Genesis, I feel as if I need time to catch my breath from it all. It seems like only yesterday I was rushing to finish my midterms and trying to pilot a shuttle in a simulator, now I've been trusted into a brand new adventure and put on an untested ship with an equally untested crew. I hope that I can climb the ladder and reach my goal to become captain. A dream I've been waiting for all my life to come true, I'll do what it takes to make it to the top; with a bit of faith and just pure luck…I'll be commanding a Starship in no time. Maybe someday I'll be the one in command of this ship, Enterprise would be nice, but as a wise man once said, 'a ship is a ship'.

Orbiting the Earth, in stationary positions, a group of dry docks holding several large ships are flooded with activity as smaller vessels and construction drones hover about the massive structures. Inside the middle dry dock, the largest one the group, a black female officer sits in front of a computer with various controls displayed on a graphical interface. A low sounding hum climbs steadily as it rises in pitch, a bright light appears in the small room colored gray and maroon, the adult female officer navigates the controls to the Transporter as she guides the beam in and stabilizes the form. The bright light appearing on the round, faint-blue Transporter Pad now takes shape in a human form. As the humming begins to die down and the light dwindles, a young Caucasian male stands on the pad with a smile and a large green duffle bag slung around his back. The young man, not looking more then eighteen in appearance, has rich dark brown hair, brown eyes and the look of someone just waiting to begin a new life.

"Hi there!" The youth said cheerfully.

"Welcome to Station Port 5, Ensign. Please step down off the pad and head out to your pod designation." The woman announced in a bored fashion.

"Port 5?" He said looking puzzled. "Wait, you mean I'm not on the ship? I thought I was beaming directly there?"

The woman gave a brief sigh and pointed to the door as she raised her eyebrow at him.

"No, this isn't Genesis. The Transporters on the vessel are down at the moment."

"Ah." The young man simply nodded. "So where do I go from here?"

"What's your name?"

"Jason R. Kirk." He smiled and winked.

The woman was not impressed by his flirtative nature and rolled her eyes.

"And what shift unit do you belong too?"

"Beta shift." Kirk replied.

The woman gives a sigh and taps her console to locate the information.

"Beta shift, beta shift…" The woman sighed as she tapped her console to locate the information. "Your shuttle pod is two-one-one. Exit to your right and then walk straight down, the signs overhead will tell you the location of your pod. Please exit the room and make way for the others please."

The young man nodded gleefully and watched her emotionless expression as he took note that she wasn't welcoming him with more enthusiasm. Naturally, who would be? She's just an officer doing her duty that she's probably done a million times before and has been performing all day long. The well-groomed boy stepped down as she instructed and headed out the sliding doors that opened for him along the drab looking walls. As he walked through, the sound of the crowded terminal hit him; the whole place was full of new recruits and officers trying to locate their pods. The young man lifted the heavy sack against his back and made his way through the crowd like a lost tourist. His eyes darted around the large room that had windows everywhere he looked; the carpet was blue and grey with the occasional symbol of the Federation of Planets emblem printed on it. He took notice of how young the various races of men and women were as he strolled through the large deck, it seems that this crew was going to be just as inexperienced as he is as they head out into space. Like any young man would, he soon caught his eyes on a pair of very beautiful women, he noticed them giggling and peering over in his direction and in return he gave them a quick wink and a smile as he kept his eyes focused on them.

The two women where human, whether from Earth or some other humanoid planet, the young man didn't care. They were stunning in his eyes, both blonde haired and had a uniform that seemed to fit in all the right places. Grinning like an idiot, he turned around and kept walking backwards so not to miss them staring back. But as he kept grinning and looking at them, he suddenly ran into someone standing in his way and fell to the floor face down. The women laughed at his misfortune and walked away as they gave him a second glance. The young man shook his head from the impact and stared up to see an older Caucasian human ranking officer hovering over him. He immediately recognized the pips on the man's collar to be that of a Commander, the middle aged man with graying black hair folded his arms together and glared at him with contempt.

"Stand up, Ensign!" The man howled at him.

"Uh…yes…yes, sir!" He quickly replied as he came to attention. "Sorry Sir, I didn't mean to…"

"You should be focusing on looking for your shuttle location rather then worrying about your libido. Where are you supposed to be, Ensign?" The man grumbled.

"I'm…uh…looking for the bridge crew sir. I'm supposed to find Pod two-one-one, Beta Shift."

"Beta Shift, eh?" The man said as he calmed down. The sight of the young man shivering in his boots from his deep commanding howl seemed to make him chuckle as he quickly remembered the time when he was a hot headed young cadet like this one.

"Well then, Ensign…"

"Kirk, sir!" The young man replied nervously. "Jason Kirk."

"Well Ensign Kirk…" The man snickered. "I suggest you look up at the signs a bit more, that way you'll see that this side is clearly Delta Shift. Your group is down over there to the right."

The terrified young man looked beyond the officer and saw the location he was gesturing too.

"Thank you sir." He nodded quickly.

"Try not to run into anymore senior officers or else you'll find yourself assigned to another ship team. Got that?"

"Yes – yes, sir." Kirk saluted with hesitation. "It won't happen again, sir."

"Carry on then Ensign." The man saluted back and pats him on the shoulder. Giving a smirk and a slight giggle under his breath, the officer walked by him and allowed the boy to continue on.

As the gruff older officer left him standing there, the ensign let out an exhale of relief; he thought for sure he had screwed up and was about to be booted back to Starfleet headquarters. With that unpleasant matter out of the way, he picked up his green duffle bag again and walked with a calmer pace to the area the officer pointed too. Each section of the whole port had shuttle pod designations and color schemes for each level of command. Holographic signs floated overhead of each area to tell the young recruits of what section of command the pods were going too. A computerized male voice was randomly playing over the speakers as it was giving information about the time of departure for each section. Kirk dropped his bag on the floor and gave a sigh as he stood in the right area he was supposed to be in. Looking at the crew he was going to be traveling with, he tried to see if anyone there was worth talking too or even a ranking officer to report too.

"Hey Jason!"

A voice rang out over the noisy crowd. It was familiar to him, a male voice that he had heard numerous times and instantly smiled when he heard him calling. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a short Ferengi running up to him in a blue and grey uniform and smiling just as much as he was.

"Well, well, well. Hello there Ensign Narwk, good to see you again bud!"

"You too Jason." The boy grinned.

The two shook hands and quickly gave each other a quick heartfelt friendly hug.

"What the hell are you doing here guy?" Jason laughed and smiled at his friend.

"Well doesn't the uniform say it?" The sharp-toothed alien giggled. "I've been placed in the medical team on the Genesis, so it looks like the two of us are going to be stationed together."

"Great! Just like ol' times bud – you, me and – hey? Did anyone else from our cadet group make it here?"

"I looked." Narwk said shaking his head negatively. "Paltar, Davis and Karen were all assigned elsewhere. Paltar is on Deep Space Nine, Davis went to the research base on Nimbus II and can you guess where Karen went?"

"Ah crap no!" Jason replied, as he knew what was coming next.

"That's right…" Narwk laughed. "She got posted on the Enterprise."

"Damn!" The young man said as he kicked his own duffle bag lying there. "See, if I had just sucked up to old Admiral Riker a bit more at the graduation I'd be right there on that ship."

"Hey ya snooze ya loose. Like it states in rule seventy-seventh of Acquisition…'It's better to swallow your pride than to lose your profit." Narwk stated with pride.

"I'm going to find that book of yours, rip out that page and then make you eat it."

Giving each other a long stare with a silent moment, the two then break into laughter as they enjoy the humor of the friendly ribbing, and began to talk to one another about their days in the academy they endured.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"Look at them over there. You'd think were just going out for a training cruise."

A young Asian-Bajoran Ensign shook her head as she watched Kirk and Narwk grow louder in their conversation. Looking over at her Vulcan friend, a female Vulcan junior officer, she pointed to them and gave a sigh of disapproval.

"I tell ya T'nal, I'm not impressed with this bunch of misfits."

"Clearly they are not taking this mission seriously." The Vulcan woman stated raising her eyebrow. "It is highly doubtful they will be prepared for the realities of serving aboard a starship."

"I wonder if those two will be the first to go during our voyage." The young Bajoran Ensign smirks. "Wouldn't that be tragic for them."

"Your need to see these two perish is highly illogical, Ensign Lorna. But, are you suggesting that they will not survive this mission?" T'nal said with concern.

"Well, no – I don't mean they'll die or anything." Lorna snickered, "I just mean that the commanding officers will start to weed out the ones that won't make the cut. The ones that are nothing but trouble and not serious about their duties. I can see those two being the first ones booted off the ship."

The Vulcan female again raised her eyebrow and gave a simple glance back at Kirk and Narwk still laughing it up.

"Highly doubtful Ensign. I've read of others with such reckless behavior usually tend to be the ones who go on and eventually become Starfleet captains."

"What?" Lorna scoffed. "Are you insane?"

"I believe my mental factor is quite reasonable, Ensign." T'nal stated, "In fact if you study the Academy database you will find over two hundred and thirty two such cases on this matter."

The Bajoran woman looked over at the young men and lowered her eyes at them.

"And loose my chance at being Captain…to the likes of them? Oh, no. Not this ship – not this woman!"

The Vulcan officer looked at her friend with surprise as she began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" T'nal inquired.

"Just keep an eye on my stuff." Lorna growled. "I'm going to put an end to those statistics!"

•••••••••••••••••••••••

A few feet away from those gathering at the shuttle pod terminal, a turbo lift signaled as it arrived to those waiting for it. A faint 'ping' sound occurred as doors slide open and a lone young Caucasian male walked out clutching a heavy blue duffle bag. A skinny youth, with a blue/gray uniform that all medical and scientific officers wore, carefully walked through the large shuttle pod area nervously. He wandered past the clans of young lower and mid-ranking officers as he made his way over to his selected location. He had a short crop of black hair; his eyes were deep blue and had a handsome completion. Like a timid rabbit in a den of wolves, he gazed quickly at the people passing around him without turning his head. His body language gave off the impression that he was not one for crowds and that he was feeling overwhelmed. Suddenly the boy flinched and rubbed his head as if something had struck him. A high-ranking Lieutenant Andorian male noticed the boy suffering and walked over to him.

"Are you alright?" The man asked.

"Yes – I – I'm fine, Sir." The young man gulped as he answered. "Could you direct me too – uh – the – the science team area?"

"Of course. Just down to the other end there and then to the right." The man pointed as he kept his eye on the frazzled Ensign.

"Th-thank you." The boy nodded as he started to walk past.

"Are you sure you're ok? You don't look so well." The Andorian asked again.

"I'm fine." The boy muttered back at him.

He quickly darted down the path the Andorian told him and finally located his group he was suppose to meet with. The boy plopped down on the ground and began breathing heavily; he kept shaking his head constantly as if he was trying to drum out the noise of the room. Each time someone spoke or laughed, the young man winced in pain. As his breathing became deeper and more heavy, the voices grew louder and louder to him. The room seemed to warp around and became a blur of non-stop chatter. Covering his ears, he ducked his head between his legs and began motioning back and forth while grinding his teeth.

"Ensign!" A voice spoke to him through the thick of the hellish buzz. It seemed strange to him that he could hear it so clearly. Once again it broke through the sea of chaos and caused him to focus on it. "Listen to my voice and let nothing else through."

The young man snapped out of his stupor and looked up to see a male Vulcan staring down at him. The man appeared to be in his mid-forties, but Vulcans tend to age differently then most humanoids, he could have been older then that for all he knew. It was then he realized that this was no mere officer, but a starship captain. The Vulcan noticed the boy was having trouble keeping focus and could sense this was no ordinary human crewmember.

"Are you alright?" The Vulcan asked with his right eyebrow poised up.

The boy was in tears as he stared at him; giving his face a wipe and standing to his feet slowly, the young man tried to keep calm.

"Sorry sir. I'm – I'm having some difficulty."

The Vulcan Captain took hold of the boy's face and looked into his eyes.

"I would say that you are. You're Betazain, aren't you?" He stated. "What's your name?"

"Ensign Liam, Sir."

"Ah, yes." The Captain nodded. "You are Admiral Liam's son. Ensign Markus Liam, if memory serves. I think you should go aboard right away and report to the Medic. The ship's doctor is busy overseeing his medical staff and waiting for the next group to arrive. A temporary medic will suffice until the doctor can attend to you're special requirements. Take shuttle pod two-one-one, it is leaving very shortly."

"Thank you, sir. But I – I can manage." Liam said firmly.

"Indeed." The Vulcan stated raising his brow again. "Nevertheless, I insist that you proceed to the ship and seek attention. Your father has already informed me of your condition and judging from your current state, I would say you are in no position to stay here and remain flooded with the minds of everyone here."

"I don't know if that's necessary, sir." The Ensign sighed. "I really am feeling a bit better."

"Don't let this moment of clarity fool you, Ensign Liam. I helped to shield your thoughts for the time being, but you need proper treatment if you are to work aboard this ship. Logic dictates that you should get this resolved before we begin our long journey together, Ensign. Walk with me, I will show you the way."

"Aye, Sir." Markus nodded reluctantly.

Picking up his blue duffle bag, Liam and the Vulcan Captain walked to the shuttle pod together. Others take note of the boy getting special treatment and a group of young officers in dark yellow and gray uniforms snicker at the sight. Many giving glib comments about the young man being a 'suck up' or 'Captain's pet'.

••••••••••••••••••••••

"A week? What do you mean I'll only last a week?"

Kirk yelled at the brash Bajoran woman, he stood there amazed that she would even say such a thing to him and placed his hands on his hips in anger.

"Exactly what I said, a week. One week and your done." Lorna smiled. "Captain T'vok is rumored to be a very stern and hard judge of character. The last time he commanded a vessel, a total of fifteen Ensigns and junior officers were replaced or transferred to some dead end star base."

"Is that true?" Narwk leaned in with a questionable gaze. "Or are you just pulling our Lobes?"

"Sarah Lorna tells no tales gentlemen." She said with a raised right hand as if she was giving a scouts honor. "Those that are reckless and headstrong will be gone in a week."

"So, guess I'll see you on the shuttle home then too?" Kirk laughed.

Sarah's smile soon curled down and gave him a glare of disapproval. Jason continued to giggle and shook his head as he reached down to grab his green duffle bag. As he stood up slinging it over his shoulder, he gave the woman a quick pat on the shoulder and smiled.

"Listen Sarah, I see what you're trying to do. You think I'm a threat to you. That's understandable, slightly on the jealous side, but cute nonetheless. "

"A threat?" She quickly squawked. "Trust me Ensign, you are no threat to me."

"Oh, of course." Jason snickered. "My mistake. I just figured that you were intimidated by me once I pass you up in the ranks."

"My, my – aren't we full ourselves?" The woman smirked as she squinted her pale green eyes. "If I didn't know any better I'd think you are challenging me."

"Maybe I am." Kirk said coming close to her face. "Think you can handle the pressure, lil' girl?"

"I can handle anything. So you wanna do this, huh? You and me – a race to be captain."

Narwk looked at Jason and leaned over to whisper to him.

"She's a bit nuts isn't she? Who does this female think she is?" Taking a moment to think for a second, the Ferengi tapped his upper lip and whispered back at him again. "Ten strips of gold pressed latinium says she doesn't make it."

Kirk chuckled at his friend's comment and rolled his tongue inside his cheek while thinking about the situation. The woman was dead serious about her challenge and the fact that her ambition was as large as his made it even more delightful to accept.

"I don't see why not? You're on." He replied as he shook her hand firmly. "May the best – _man_ – win."

She continued to shake his hand and gave a laugh at his remark.

"This best – _woman_ – will have you eating those words."

Narwk rolled his eyes and gave a slight sigh as he watched the two still shaking hands tightly and staring at one another with intensity.

"Hu-mans – they're all nuts."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Detaching from the side of the orbiting space station, the shuttle pod started its journey towards the large Federation vessel. Kirk stood close to one of the side windows as he gazed at the Earth below. It would be the final sight of his home planet for some time and tried to take in as much as he could. Five years is a long time out in space, one day he will return, but only for brief shore leaves or possibly even for ship repairs. He took a moment to sigh and reflect. A quick pat on the back from his friend behind him and Jason quickly took his eyes away from the past and look forward to his future home. The shuttle took a slow pass by as it gave the new recruits a view of the vessel they would all be serving on. The lights gleamed across the grey-motted metal hull of the vessel, making some of the crew hold up their hands to shield the brightness that blinded their eyes. The pod then turned past one of the slender looking warp nassels as it lowered downward towards the underside of the ship, the mixture of blue and red coming off from the engines softly glowed in the pod's windows. The ship was streamlined and sleek in its design, large enough to hold a crew of that size and yet built for speed. The saucer section was almost molded into the frame of the ship as if there was no neck to its design. The deflector dish also gave off a pale blue florescence from its position underneath the oval front part of the ship. Kirk and the others were in awe of it as they studied it carefully. For every young Starfleet cadet, this was the dream to live, to be aboard a ship that would take you where no one has gone before.

"Fantastic." Kirk uttered under his breath.

Lorna nodded in agreement as she too gazed upon the magnificent ship that she hoped to one-day command. Narwk couldn't see past all the taller people standing around the front main window, jumping up from time to time, he would only catch a glimpse of the ship they were all admiring.

"Uuuhg!" He grunted bitterly as he folded his arms over and frowned. "Why do I always get shoved at the back?"

"I hear she's got a new proto-type engine." Lorna said to Kirk, as they stood side-by-side.

"I know" He replied. "It's some sort of liquid bio-crystalline propulsion that self regenerates. They tested the engines earlier this week. I've heard that it's supposed to be the fastest ship in the fleet."

"Is that right?" Lorna said with a smirk. "Too bad it won't last."

"What do you mean?"

"Well – " She sighed. "I've heard some rumors of my own. That the Enterprise might possibly beat their record. Word is that they're going to get the second-generation engine installed soon. Can you believe that? We're out-dated before we even launch."

"Don't worry about that." Kirk glanced at her briefly. "It's going to take few years before that's going to happen. Maybe we can give this ship a run for its money before they get the chance."

"Maybe." Lorna stated as she stared back at the ship. "Anything is possible."

The pod soon returned to the top section of the saucer and cruised overhead of it. As it came down lower, heading for one of the ports on the side, Kirk and Lorna gazed down and noticed the identification lying on the oval hull.

U.S.S. GENESIS NCC - 7402

A smile broke on Jason's face as he read the bold-faced black letters and numbers. This would be the place he'd call home and this would be the start of his dream career to be a captain. He had read the missions his great-great uncle James T. Kirk, as well as with every other captain that came to command the famous flagship in Starfleet history, the Enterprise. As a boy he would dream of being just like all of them; going out on dangerous missions, battling aliens and being the first to discover the great unknowns. It took him sometime to convince his mother and father to let him join Starfleet. Samuel Kirk, father of Jason, is the great grandson of Peter Kirk, the lone survivor of an alien organism that killed his parents and the colony he lived on. The Kirk name was a hard thing to live with after the adventurous exploits of James T., affiliation and high expectations of every family member from that point on was difficult to bare. People that revered the Kirk name would always wonder why Peter or his other progeny would not join Starfleet and continue the legend. It was for that reason alone they did not want too, James was anything of a role model to them. Being a captain of a starship meant living on the edge of destruction, it was reckless and dangerous, something that the Kirk family would always instill on their children to make sure none of them followed in that man's footsteps. Samuel continued the anti-Starfleet lecture to Jason, but he didn't hold the same grudge that his father and all the others before him had. James Kirk was an idol to him, someone that made him proud of his family heritage and one that he felt was his duty to continue.

The shuttle pod soon docked on lower, right-hand side of the saucer section and as the pod came to a rest against the hull, the doors finally opened. The group of young officers spilled out into the very large docking room and chatted away to each other as they disembarked from it. Kirk and Nawrk stayed together as they slung their duffle bags over their shoulders and headed out into the ship. They were impressed with the size of the hallways, very large and spacious, and filled with enough people as if they were in city street. As the two seemed bewildered by the numbers, Lorna tapped them both on the shoulder and pointed ahead of them.

"I think we're supposed to head up to C deck, someone mentioned something about our quarters being there."

"Great!" Kirk smiled. "Guess it looks like we're going to be close to the bridge after all."

"I'm not sure that's where I'm supposed to go Jason." Narwk said with confusion. "That's more the section for bridge personnel and junior officers. Where does the medical staff go?"

Lorna looked around the rushing crowd of people and spotted someone directing the medical staff as they gather around the person.

"I'd go ask that guy over there. He's probably the one you need to talk too about that."

Kirk and Narwk shook hands; the Ferengi shifted his load to the other shoulder as he prepared to leave his friend.

"Well – guess I'll see you later." Kirk shrugged.

"Guess so." Narwk sighed. "Contact me when you get a chance and let me know when you want to meet for drinks later. Alright?"

"You bet buddy." Jason smiled.

The little Ferengi walked over to the medical officer and tapped him on the shoulder with a smile on his face.

"Excuse me, sir. I was wondering if you could tell me which floor the medical staff is assigned barracks too?"

Flexing his broad shoulders from the feel of Nawrk's finger tapping in an irritating fashion, the person turned around and gave a snarled glance down at the young alien. Narwk gulped suddenly as he noticed he'd come face to face with bitter looking Klingon.

"Watch that finger of yours Ferengi! Or I will rip it off of you and feed it to my pet Targ back home!"

The Klingon looked aged in appearance, he was slightly wrinkled in the face and had a thin mustache and beard. Narwk was more intimidated by the fact that this muscular towering man's shadow almost seemed to engulf him. The uniform he wore was standard issue Medical blue, but a sash of weaved metal and badges of honor adorned it like a display of his courageous legacy. Narwk had seen such a sash in Starfleet image files, many Klingons tend to wear it proudly and detest people touching it. In fact, it's stressed in the files that one must 'never touch a Klingon without permission first'. He had once thought that funny they put that in there, but now he realized they were absolutely correct. The young Ferengi quivered at the sound of the Klingon's growl as he glared down at him.

"I suppose you are on my staff, Ensign!" He shouted again.

"Yes sir. I'm assigned to the Sick Bay – Sir!" He nervously shouted back.

The Klingon officer continued to growl at the boy and looked at the data pad with a list of names. The sound of the computer scrolling made the young Ferengi nervous, perhaps he wasn't supposed to be assigned to this ship? Or maybe they've forgotten to put his name down? So many questions running through his brain as he saw the bitter Klingon gazing at the pad. The scrolling soon stopped and the Klingon ended his grumpy growl.

"Ensign Narwk is it?" He said with a sigh.

"Yes, sir!" He quickly answered back.

"You are to be placed on D deck. That is one floor up. Can you find your way? Or do I need someone to take you by the hand and guide you there like a little child?"

"I can find my way sir. Thank you sir." Narwk saluted.

"One more thing, Ensign!" The Klingon officer barked. "You are to report to me on your first rotation, is that understood?"

"You sir?" Narwk replied with a puzzled expression.

"Yes Ensign." He replied gruffly to the Ferengi. "You are addressing the Chief Medical Doctor of this vessel. Remember my name you Ferengi-Gozhe! I am Klarrn, and I will be keeping a close eye on you, so do not fail me. Or else!"

The young boy nodded frantically and proceeded to run down the hall out of his view. The Klingon doctor watched him with a delighted smile and began to chuckle from the young officer's fearful sprint.

"Ferengi trying to become doctors - HA!" He muttered to himself. "What will the Federation allow next, I wonder?"

••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Entering into his assigned room, Jason Kirk threw his bag over to the top of one of the bunk beds. The spacious living quarters are fully carpeted in grey and blue, and the bunk beds lined in a row in the room by the far wall with enough room for anyone to sleep in.

"Hey!" A male voice cried out to him. "Where do you think you're putting that?"

Kirk turned around and saw a burly looking human officer. The large Caucasian guy stood over him with a scowl on his face and rubbed his fist in anger.

"Uh – well I was trying to put my stuff down on my bed." Jason said in a smug tone.

"Oh yeah?" The tough guy smirked as he brought his fist up to Jason's face. "Think again. That's my bunk. So take your stuff off of it and find another – Ensign."

Kirk didn't argue with the guy, he simply walked over and removed his duffle bag. Cautiously he looked back at the imposing crewman and smirked at the guy while he flung the bag over his shoulder.

"Fair enough." He shrugged. "I wouldn't want to be bunked with you anyway. That ugly look of yours would keep me up at night."

Offended by the brash remark of Kirk's, the officer took a swing at him with his fist and tried to get him in the jaw. Jason was too quick for his action and managed to avoid the punch. He quickly dodged out of the room and made a run for it down the hall. The guy came chasing after him out of the room and stopped half way as he pointed furiously.

"That's right you keep running!" The man screamed at him. "If I see you again I'll make sure I'll wipe that grin off of you for good!"

"Thanks for the warning!" Kirk laughed back as he continued to sprint through the corridor.

Once he was at a safe distance, he soon ended his sprint and walked in a normal fashion. The corridors were still very much alive with busy officers looking for their quarters and their stations they were assigned too. Jason strolled down the long spacious section and looked for a non-occupied room. He finally came to a room that seemed untouched and looked inside to see if there was no one unpacking or making use of the other cots. He smiled cheerfully and began to whistle a tune of 'All By Myself', an old Earth tune he had heard in one of the near by clubs of Federation Headquarters. Many of the bars and officer clubs had music playing of every era and type. This was a favorite of his; it was a very easy melody to mimic through whistling.

"Ah! Home at last." He commented as he flopped into the bed.

Just as he felt at peace in his new quarters, a familiar voice spoke as the doors re-opened again.

"Same to you buddy! Thanks for being a royal jerk!"

"Oh no." He grumbled. "Not her – not here. Of all the places to be – "

To his dread, Sarah walked into the room with her duffle bag dragged it along the ground. Clearly she was tired of carrying it and was becoming much too heavy for her anymore. She bitterly walked into the room and let go of the strap as she growled in anger. Kirk stood up and quickly placed his right hand over his face in disapproval.

"Oh come on…this isn't my day at all."

"Oh, it's you." Lorna stated as she finally noticed him. "Well – guess we're going to have to be bunk mates. I've been booted out of every room on this floor by pushy junior officers, groups of ensigns and one guy that needs the entire room so he can float freely in antigravity for periods of time. Personally I think he was just saying that to keep me out of there."

Kirk grabbed her bag and looked at her with anger.

"Why don't you just keep looking then? Hm? I mean it's obvious you won't enjoy it here with me. I'd only make your life miserable and be a daily reminder that I'm gunning for the captain's chair before you."

"Not on your life JK!" Sarah smiled at him while yanking her duffle bag away from him. "Every room is filling up fast, so like it or not – I'm staying. Besides, I need to keep an eye on you. There's no way I'll let you be a captain before me."

"Just keep on thinking that on your way out of the airlock once you lose." He remarked back. "I'll be sure to send you a flattering recommendation to your next posting back home."

Lorna unzipped her duffle bag and took out her clothes on the opposite bed. Among items were a bunch of laced underwear that Kirk noticed as she walked past him with it in hand.

"We'll see who gets sent back to the minors." She playfully smirked.

"So that's your strategy? Trying to seduce me?" Kirk questioned in a nervous voice. "Well, it won't work. I'm not that easily distracted."

She continued on into the bathroom and began removing her top. Kirk would have loved to keep looking – had this been any other woman. But frustrated as he was, he wasn't about to succumb to this rival's sexual tactics. Kirk just shook his head and stared up at the ceiling with a long sigh.

"This is my hell."


	3. Chapter 3

Ensign Nawrk stood at attention with the other medical officers in the sick bay as the Klingon, Doctor Klarrn, paced back and fourth in front of them. It was very obvious that he was a very disciplined Starfleet officer. While perhaps he would have been more suited being on board a Klingon vessel, barking commands at others of his kind that would respect that sort of behavior, he had to deal with these Federation humans and other species that were not accustomed to that kind of gruff tone. Klarrn growled as he eyed each one of them, sizing up his medical staff and giving a slight glare to their face as they tried not to stare back at him.

"What a pathetic bunch of dogs you all are!" He shouted. "I have seen each of your records and find it to be most disappointing. I will not have a weak staff under my command."

Nawrk gave a worried brow as he wondered what exactly was put into his files, having only missed one test in his whole training because of being drunk with Kirk the night before, still he feared this would be the one instant that would send him back home or reassigned to some dismal space station.

"You will all learn to work together and be the most efficient medical team." The Klingon continued to growl. "Mistakes are not acceptable. Missing your duty shifts is punishable. Patients are our first and only priority here in this place and I will not stand for those who would jeopardize their safety by failing to carry out my instructions to the letter. Is that clear?"

"YES SIR!" The staff quickly responded.

"Good." Klarrn smirked. "If you are very lucky, many of you will learn and go on to be the most respected doctors, nurses and medical staff in the whole of the Federation. They will see that you have honor and that you have no fear when it comes to any medical challenge brought before you. But, having seen those files of yours…"

The young Ferengi gulped as he saw the Klingon doctor stop before him with a strong gaze.

"I wonder if that day is a long time coming. I have much to teach you all, show me that you want it. Do you – Ferengi – want it?"

"I – I – I guess…" Nawrk stumbled.

"You guess?" Klarrn said with flared eyes. "I said – DO YOU WANT IT?"

"YES SIR!" Nawrk screamed back in fear. "I want to learn and be the best of the best."

"Good, Ensign." The Klingon said bearing his sharp teeth. "That is the only answer I want to hear from you at all times."

The Ferengi nodded quickly and stood at attention to him. Klarrn was satisfied with the young man and walked to the end of the group again. Placing his hands behind his back and looking the proud warrior Klingon, he raised his head and lowered his tone of voice at them.

"This ship is about to disembark on a five year mission. I want this place running smoothly by the time we leave the solar system and keep it that way for as long as this vessel exists. Now, to your posts everyone."

"Aye!" The group quickly answered back and proceeded to prep the medical bay with haste.

Klarrn grinned with delight as the smell of fear within his staff made them move as if someone had a phaser lodged into their backs. But as he was enjoying the moment of his discipline in action, the Vulcan captain entered the room with Ensign Liam by his side.

The youth was still looking pale and wincing his eyes from the pain growing louder in his mind again. The captain gestured to Klarrn for attention and looked down at the Ensign with concern.

"The pain is returning?" He asked.

"Yes." Ensign Liam nodded. "Can't shut them out. I can't shut them out!"

"Focus your mind, Ensign. Build a barrier to block the sound."

"I can't!" The young man screamed in agony. "It's so loud!"

Klarrn quickly came over and caught the ensign just as he collapsed, with a hypospray on hand; he eased Liam's suffering by making him sleep. The Klingon doctor managed to carry the limp youth over to a bed and used his tricorder to examine the boy.

"He's a Betazoid." The Klingon observed.

"Yes." The Captain stated as he stood on the opposite side of the bed. "His mind is being overwhelmed with thoughts of the surrounding people. I would recommend that you use a suitable neural inhibitor until he can properly adjust to – "

"Yes, I am fully aware on what is best for such a case!" Klarrn rudely interrupted. "So spare me your Vulcan medical advice."

"I beg your pardon?" The Captain said with authority.

"Excuse me, Captain Serrik." The Klingon apologized. "But I am trying to work here. Forgive my outburst."

"As you wish, Doctor. I will leave you to it then and tend to the bridge instead." Serrik said sharply and walked out of the sickbay.

As Klarrn growled at his own stupidity for shouting at his superior officer, he focused back at the tricorder as he scanned the ensign's head. The readings made the doctor give a concerned look as he tapped a few buttons on the screen. Rubbing his chin in thought, he closed the device and placed it on the counter beside the bed. Klarrn looked about for someone to assist him and noticed Narwk walking by looking confused as if he didn't know where to be.

"Ensign!" The Klingon shouted.

The Ferengi froze in his place and gulped. He gave a toothy grin of nervousness and practically groveled before the gruff doctor.

"Yes sir?" He said with fear.

"You will assist me with this one."

"Ah – Are you sure you want me, sir?" Narwk stuttered.

"I called to you, did I not?" The Klingon glared.

"Yes." The cowering Ensign nodded. "Yes you did sir."

"Then you will assist me."

Narwk gave a look of discontentment, but did as he was instructed. Klarrn pointed to the medical cart to him and snapped his fingers. The young Ferengi quickly ran over to it and wheeled it to the cranky doctor. Holding out his hand, the Klingon waited for the officer to give him the instruments needed.

"Twenty ccs of Traflican-molithicde."

"Yes sir." Narwk answered back.

Taking out a hypospray from the cabinet, the Ensign prepared it for the doctor and loaded the cartridge of the compound. He set the controls for the required amount and handed it to him.

"Very good, Ensign." The Klingon doctor mused. "That was efficient. You located that rather quickly."

"Yes sir." The young officer grinned. "I trained on this cart back a number of times in the academy. Vulcans use some of the medications in this unit as well."

The doctor nodded in delight and used the hypospray on the patient. Once it was finished he handed it back to Narwk and studied Markus's eyes.

"That should suppress the telepathic shock for now. I'll have to use a Myelin Regenerator to ease the swelling and give his mind time to adjust."

"What's wrong with him?" Narwk said with professional curiosity. "Traflican-molithicde is a strong inhibitor for someone of telepathic abilities, too much of it would cause brain damage."

Again, the Klingon was most impressed by Narwk's medical knowledge and spoke to him in a more respectful manner.

"So long as the dosage is within specified limits." Klarrn grinned. "Besides, Betazoids tend to have better tolerances to such medications. Especially for a case like this."

"What do you mean, sir?"

"Judging by the scan I took of him – " Klarrn said as he turned his gaze back to the young man laying on the bed. "I'd say he has Keovet Syndrome."

"Ah." The Ferengi nodded.

Klarrn seemed to be offset by that comment and folded his arms with curious gaze at the young medical officer.

"Do you know of this disease? Quick! What is the cause of it? Answer!"

"Well, ah, it's a – " Narwk struggled to say as he tried to think on his feet. "It's a rare disorder that occurs to those that were on colonized on the world just outside of the gamma quadrant."

"Go on." The Klingon said as he stroked his thin mustache.

"Keovet Nine was polluted by a species dumping their genetic waste without the colony's knowledge. It became airborne and infected all the population living there. It was recorded to be the worst environmental disaster in Federation History. By decade's end, only twenty five people survived the side effects from the disease."

Klarrn chuckled as the young Ensign waited for his reaction. He could see that the doctor was impressed by his knowledge of the event and of the disorder. Klarrn tweaked his mustache one last time and patted the Ferengi on the back.

"Excellent." The Klingon laughed. "Now tell me, what is the cure for such a thing?"

Narwk gave a confused glare and thought hard as he searched his mind for the answer.

"Well, Ensign?" The Doctor asked.

"I – I 'm afraid I don't know." The young officer answered. "I don't think there has ever been a recorded cure for it yet."

"And you would be correct." The brute man smirked. "Keovet Syndrome can only be treated with a dose of neural inhibitors. In a case like this, double the requirement is needed for a patient experiencing such pain."

Narwk gave a quick nod of understanding and took in the information. The Klingon doctor used the tricorder again and studied the results. He gave a pleased, toothy grin as he noticed the boy's symptoms had begun to decline.

"Begging your pardon, sir." Narwk asked. "But, I thought there wasn't any survivors left of that colony. From what I can remember, most of them died out from the disease."

"Indeed, they did." The Doctor nodded as he closed the medical scanner. "All but one. And you are looking at him. For whatever reason, this young boy seems to be able to control it from time to time. Perhaps he was the fortunate individual that wasn't as severely affected like the rest."

"Should he be in Starfleet then?"

"Should you?" The Klingon scowled at him. "His condition is treatable. No more then any other that requires medication in order to function. Cures do not come easy, Ensign. He is able to live his life for now."

"That's not a very Klingon way of seeing it." The Ferengi snickered. "They'd see it as a sign of weakness."

The Klingon doctor took offense to the comment and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.

"You are not Klingon! So do not dare to even question me about being one, Ferengi!"

"Yes – Yes sir!" The Ensign nervously apologized. "Sorry, Sir! I was just – I was just – "

"Just – What?" The Doctor growled in a sarcastic tone. "Go on – I am so interested to know what you think as a junior medical officer. Something that a well skilled, full ranking medical doctor couldn't possibly understand."

The young Ferengi gave a sheepish laugh and patted the Klingon on the shoulder – very gently.

"Just going to ask you if you would like me to finish setting up the med-bay."

"What a brilliant idea." The Doctor growled back.

Smiling nervously as the Doctor released him from the strong grip, the young Ensign quickly vanished from his sight as he nearly tripped from walking away backwards. Klarrn rolled his eyes in frustration and gave low sigh as he tried to calm down.

"Sometimes I wish this was a Klingon ship. Then I would have the excuse to kill him."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Kirk and Sarah arrived on the bridge to start their duty shift. As the doors slid open, they stood in awe as they took in the view of the well-designed room. Like all federation vessels, the area was circular and full of computers surrounding the perimeter wall. Each station was devoted to various departments; Helm, science, security, medical - it was all there with someone manning the post. Jason Kirk seemed to grin ear to ear while taking it all in as he walked to his post at navigation. Sarah Lorna tried not to be as obvious as him, but couldn't help but give the odd innocent glare from time to time. As they approached their seats in front of the dual helm, the Vulcan Captain greeted them in typical cold manner.

"To your stations."

The two Ensigns nodded to him and quickly sat in their place. Kirk quickly glided his hands on the brand new console, it still had that tactile feel of never being used, no warn out spots or indentations of finger jabs like the older starships had. Lorna just watched him with an eye of curiosity as she leaned over slightly towards him.

"Would you like a moment alone with it?" She sarcastically remarked.

"You wouldn't understand." He snickered.

"That you're stroking a flat panel oddly? I guess not."

"And that's why you'll never be a Captain." He smirked at her. "One has to know the ship – like a lover."

"That's just rude." Lorna winced in disgust.

Kirk smiled at her in delight and gave a comedic wink. She rolled her eyes and focused back the console as she entered in her command code to start operation of the computer. Captain Serrik stood near Kirk while he was in mid-grin and tapped the flat panel console on his side.

"Please refrain from anymore lurid suggestions, Mr. Kirk." The drone-voiced Vulcan stated to him. "You are a Starfleet officer now, so start acting like one. Please activate the helm and proceed with disembarking procedures."

"Aye – Sir." The young man said clearing his throat in embarrassment.

The Captain raised his eyebrow at the two of them and walked away with a look of disapproval.

"Nice going." Lorna scornfully said to Kirk in a low voice. "You're off to a good start."

"Bah." Jason replied. "He'll warm up to me yet."

The Captain sat down into his chair and pressed a button on the small console built into the arm of his command chair. A high-pitched whistle echoed throughout the ship as it signaled the attention of the entire crew. As everyone paused in their steps and listened, Serrik's voice boomed out over the intercom.

"This is the Captain speaking. We are about to embark on the maiden voyage of this brand new class of starship. Over the course of time and though the journey we are about to undertake, we will all become familiar with this vessel and see what lies beyond the stars ahead. For many of you, this will be your first mission, a five-year stretch that will give you the chance to learn and grow. This is not the academy – this is real life. The ship and the well being of the entire crew is now your focus. So let's do our jobs and begin our journey into the vast unknown."

The Captain switched the intercom off and tilted his head back. He folded his hands together and gazed at the large view screen on the front wall of the bridge. Outside, the loading ships were moving out of the way and the docking clamps retracting back into the sides of the dry-dock where Genesis was residing. With simple sigh of his breath, Serrik leaned back in his chair and nodded to Kirk as he waited for the order.

"Clear all moorings, quarter impulse." The Vulcan said to him in a commanding tone.

"Aye Sir." Kirk smiled. "Quarter Impulse."

"Heading, sir?" Lorna asked as she turned to face the Captain.

"Once we've cleared the station you will go to warp eight on a heading of two-one-zero-four-zero-eight mark two three." Serrik stated.

Lorna looked hesitant as he told her the co-ordinates, she understood that was just past the boarders of Romulan space. The Romulans still weren't fully trust worthy of the Federation, the fact that they've been in negotiations since the destruction of their home world was enough to make her worry. They still blamed the Federation for not aiding them faster and cursed the Vulcan Ambassador for failing in his mission. The mystery surrounding the disappearance of Ambassador Spock and of Romulus' destruction was still very much talked about in the Academy.

"Is there a problem, Ensign?" The Vulcan captain inquired.

"That course will take us through Romulan space, sir."

"Yes." The captain acknowledged as he pressed his hands together in thought. "But it is our destination nonetheless, Ms. Lorna. The Romulans have allowed us passage through that region as long as we do not stop with in it."

"We're not are we?" Lorna questioned to him as she looked back.

Serrik raised his eyebrow to her and simply pointed ahead. He didn't have to speak a word, she understood that simple command and that his order remained as it was. It was not her place to ask such questions, nor was she to likely to get an answer from a Vulcan that was intent on a mission. Kirk just snickered to himself and gazed over at Lorna as she placed in the co-ordinates.

"Looks like you're off to an even better start."

Lorna gave a scornful glare and punched the final button in a bitter gesture. With that last touch, the ship proceeded to head out of the station and into open space.


End file.
